When retail area manager Chris Hansen joined his father’s Jim’s Mowing business in 2001 he welcomed the shift from a desk job to outdoor work. And he’s not alone – it’s a trend he’s seeing across the network as corporate employees discover they can lose the stress and still enjoy financial rewards as their own boss.

“One of our franchisees is a former director of a major business, and he now employs four staff. Every time I speak to him, he tells me he can’t believe the amount of opportunity that’s here,” Chris says.

While Chris joined the business to eventually take over from his father, he had first to learn the ropes as a franchisee.

“I was a franchisee for three and a half years,” Chris says. “My father was the regional franchisor for New South Wales, and he was looking for a succession plan. He offered me the opportunity and I loved the idea.”

What he soon discovered was the capacity for scale that the Jim’s Mowing business affords.

“The potential in the mowing division is amazing,” he says. “You don’t have to buy multiple territories to grow the business, and with staff and vehicles, the sky’s the limit,” Chris says. 

A franchisee can follow one of several options: a lifestyle business focused on mowing; an independent franchise, generating strong revenue with added niche services like landscaping or gutter clearing; or a mega business, with staff and vehicles.

A scalable business, not just a lifestyle option

Sixty per cent of the Jim’s Mowing franchise network is taking advantage of the individual model to build a solid income.

About 20 per cent choose the more ambitious option, another 20 per cent opt for the relaxed lifestyle approach.

“For some franchisees, they get to a certain level and its enough money for them. The trade off is they can spend more time with family. Jim’s allows them to have the choice,” Chris says.

He sees it as a great option for people in their 50s, who are looking at what’s next after a corporate career. 

“They buy a Jim’s Mowing franchise, they love it, it keeps them fit, and they are earning a good income,” he points out.

When Chris joined his father’s business, there were about 300 franchisees across the state.

“We were driving across the state – once a quarter we would be away for a month just visiting franchisees,” Chris explains.

Now the business has been condensed to cover two-thirds of Sydney and Chris and his team of four look after 200 franchisees.

“We sold parts of the business and now we have a good sized operation – it’s manageable and localised. I’m no more than an hour from any franchisee,” Chris says.

Finding fresh opportunities

From the very beginning of his time at Jim’s he has loved helping franchisees. Now he’s leading the business as regional franchisor his role is to support, encourage and help franchisees source more work through training, guidance, mentoring, skills sharing and providing fresh opportunities.

“It’s important to talk to franchisees about what is motivating them, making sure they keep using that as the driver for their business. We can provide advice on how they can progress – if they see the possibility and the way to achieve it, they push themselves even more,” Chris says.

He recently set up a workshop on high pressure cleaning – a possible add on for franchisees, that proved particularly popular. 

“We can show franchisees where the market is moving to drive more business,” he says. “The number one concern now is cost of living, so we can help franchisees crank up their business and earn more income.”

Work volumes can be scaled up or down, depending on demand – marketing is ramped up in quieter periods. 

While lawn mowing can be very seasonal depending on the location, franchisees can turn to additional services to boost quieter periods – or take holiday in the down time.

“Some franchisees take a much-needed break – they’re super busy before and after, but they get time away with family,” Chris says. “Most franchisees with kids at school take the July holidays off.”

Chris says that candidates who are coachable, produce quality work, and collaborate well with the network have the greatest potential in the business.

“Bring a can-do attitude and tap into the enormous opportunities in the Jim’s Mowing business,” he says. “In Sydney we have plenty of new opportunities, with the expansion of the airport, and the north west growth corridors. New houses equal new opportunities.

“We are getting a lot of new Australians and I expect we will see more corporate refugees as AI starts to affect the workforce. A Jim’s Mowing franchise offers ex-corporates the opportunity to sustain a good salary, as good or better than their previous earnings,” Chris says.